child leashes bad or good?

Charlie - posted on 06/15/2010

They are generally not used in Australia , ive seen them maybe 4 times in my life living in the city and on the coast , they are VERY hard to find as no one sells them generally because no one uses them .

I dont really care if people do or dont , i do think they look weird , i am surprised at how popular they are overseas .

Krista - posted on 06/15/2010

I think that they are an incredibly useful child safety tool, and think that the people who are so vitriolic in their opposition to them, on grounds that it's "degrading" are doing some SERIOUS projection.

Joanna - posted on 06/15/2010

It's funny how much my daughter loves hers, too. she wants to wear her monkey backpack all the time, and one day she asked to go to the airport just so she could wear it.

Erin - posted on 06/15/2010

My son and I both LOVE his.

Sherri - posted on 06/15/2010

I personally love them. Got one when my son was a year old when we were going to a very large fair with thousands of people. We have the monkey backpack and he calls it George. He thinks of it as such a treat when he gets to wear it.

Jessica - posted on 06/15/2010

If you had asked me before I had a child...honestly, I thought they were strange. But now that my son is here (and very curious and mobile)...I can definitely see why some parents use them! Especially in a busy place like an amusement park, or, if you have multiple toddlers...stresses me out just thinking about it!

Cyndel - posted on 06/15/2010

I used one on my son. He loved it, thought it was a game, he would run fast to the end of the leash, it would jerk him back and he would fall onto his butt giggling get up and do it again.
By the way, I met a woman whose daughter was born in the mid 60's, she made a leash for her daughter as she loved to run off and they couldn't afford a stroller, she was arrested and her daughter was taken away for three weeks. The judge said she was treating her daughter as if she was a dog, it was rediculous.

Joanna - posted on 06/15/2010

My husband hates the child leashes and refuses to use one with our 2 1/2 year old, and go figure the other day under his care she almost got hit by a car because she was faster than he was.

I've used one 3 times, twice when I was alone at the busy Denver airport, and my daughter needed to stretch her legs and get out of the stroller, and then once recently at the zoo, because I'm pregnant and can no longer chase her like I used to, or hold her.

While I think parents should focus on teaching child safety instead of relying on harnesses all the time (I see physically capable women just meandering down the sidewalk on the phone, walking their children like dogs, and I wonder why can't they get off the phone and hold their hand - even with a harness/leash on you should pay attention and teach them to hold your hand), I think all around they are great for keeping kids safe.... they are so fast and can be gone in an instant, plus even the most well-behaving kids could be kid-napped if you turn your head for a second!

Becky - posted on 06/15/2010

I use one with my daughter. Not because she is bad and wild or she runs all over the place. I use it because I am only human and I know I cannot keep my eyes on her 24/7 while caring for my newborn.. My daughter always stays with me and we hold hands when we are out but when my baby crys and I need to bend down to get her from the stroller who's holding my oldest hand?? I do not want to risk those 2 seconds I bend down to care for my youngest and have some crazy person kidnap my daughter. I am not LAZY as people have stated and to me it is all about keeping my children safe in this crazy world we live in nowadays. What is the difference from a child being able to walk around with a leash on VS. being strapped down in a stoller??